The antibiotic paradox : how the misuse of antibiotics destroys their curative powers / Stuart B. Levy.

Cambridge, MA : Perseus Pub., [2002], ©2002.

xx, 353 pages : illustrations, portrait ; 21 cm

2nd ed.

From tragedy the antibiotic age is born -- The disease and the cure : the microscopic world of bacteria and antibiotics -- Reliance on medicines and self-medication : the seeds of antibiotic misuse -- Antibiotic resistance : microbial adaptation and evolution -- The antibiotic myth -- Antibiotics, animals, and the resistance gene pool -- Further ecological considerations : antibiotic use in agriculture, aquaculture, pets, and minor animal species -- Future prospects : new advances against impending disaster -- The individual and antibiotic resistance -- The antibacterial craze -- Antibiotic resistance : a societal issue at local, national, and international levels.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 321-333) and index.